camerapediafandomcom-20200215-history
Shinkoflex
The Shinkoflex and Flex Six are Japanese 6×6 SLR cameras made in the first half of the 1940s, and identical except for the name. Date and original documents Many sources say that the Shinkoflex appeared in 1940. Date: , items 2008, 2027 and 6008; , pp.592 and 1020; this page of the JCII collection. It is said that the Shinkoflex was the first Japanese 6×6 SLR, the first Japanese rollfilm SLR with a focal plane shutter and the first Japanese camera to have an advance lever. See for example , item 2027, and , p.1020. However neither the Shinkoflex nor the Flex Six are mentioned in the official list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941, which should list the whole Japanese camera production of the time. . It seems that no advertisement for the camera was placed in the Japanese camera magazines. The camera is not mentioned in , which makes a near exhaustive survey of advertisements. A Shinkoflex or Flex Six body is nonetheless pictured in an advertisement dated March 1942 for the Kanko mirror lenses made by Kansai Kōgaku. Advertisement published in Hōdō Shashin, reproduced in the Gochamaze website. The Shinkoflex also appears in the April 1943 government inquiry on Japanese camera production. , item 127. Maker and distributor The Shinkoflex is usually attributed to Yamashita Shōten (some sources say "Yamashita Shōkai" by mistake) but this was certainly only the distributor. , item 2027, and , p.1020, attribute the camera to "Yamashita Trading Co." This page of the JCII collection says "Yamashita Shōkai", but an advertisement for the Shinko Super reproduced in , p.74, gives the name Yamashita Shōten. Lewis, p.57, says Yamashita Shōten too. The 1943 government inquiry says that the shutter and lens were made by Shinkō, the same company which made the Shinko Baby and probably the Shinko Super. , shutter item F-5, lens item M3. The maker's name is unfortunately missing from the document, but it seems likely that the company which made the focal-plane shutter also made the rest of the body. The Flex Six is attributed to Kyōto Seiki for an unknown reason, , item 2008, , p.592. but the camera is merely a name variant of the Shinkoflex. Description The Shinkoflex and Flex Six are strongly influenced by the Reflex-Korelle, with a focal plane shutter and a cube-like mirror box protruding from the body. The left half of the top plate has an advance lever and perhaps an exposure counter. The right half has the speed setting knob, with B, 10–500 speed settings. Speed range: , shutter item F-5, , items 2008 and 2027, , pp.592 and 1020. (Despite its probably common origin, the shutter of the Shinko Super only has 1/200 instead of 1/500 top speed.) It seems that the release button is on the right-hand side of the mirror box. The nameplate (Shinkoflex or Flex Six) is above the lens, in front of the viewing hood. The back is hinged to the right. It is said that the lens is interchangeable. , item 2027, , p.1020. It is not known if it used the same mount as the Reflex-Korelle. The lens mentioned in the 1943 government inquiry is the same four-element Shinko 80/3.5 as on the Shinko Super. , lens item M3. Actual examples Two actual examples of the Shinkoflex have been observed. One is pictured in and has a Radionar 7.5cm f/3.5 lens by Schneider, a lens that was perhaps originally made for the Reflex-Korelle. , item 2027. The other is pictured in Lewis Lewis, p.57. and in this page of the JCII collection and has a different lens and a larger lens plate, almost covering all the front plate. One example of the Flex Six is pictured in with a front-cell focusing U.L.L. Anastigmat 80/3.5 lens mounted on the larger lens plate. Example pictured in , item 2008. Kanko mirror lenses The Kanko mirror lenses made by Kansai Kōgaku were available for the Flex Six or Shinkoflex body. (See the article about Kansai Kōgaku for the full range.) Surviving examples are known of the 450mm focal length Kanko 2600. One is pictured in and another in this page of the Old Telescope website. The camera is called "Flex Six (military version)" in , item 6008, but nothing indicates that it was made for the military. Notes Bibliography * Item 127. * The Shinkoflex and Flex Six do not appear in this list. * P.57. * Pp.592 and 1020. * Items 2008, 2027 and 6008. These cameras are not listed in . Links In Japanese: * Shinkoflex in the Camera database of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology * Advertisement for the Kanko 2600 published in the March 1942 issue of Hōdō Shashin, reproduced in the Japanese camera page of the Gochamaze website * Documentation page of the Old Telescope website, with Kanko mirror lenses Category: Japanese 6x6 SLR Category: S